Tentatively Falling
by PrincessDesire
Summary: Part Two in the Brother's Keeper Arc. Cartman and Kyle's relationship develops.
1. Chapter 1

Tentatively Falling

Chapter 1

Cartman woke up feeling like it was Christmas morning. It was close actually, four days, but that wasn't the cause of his pleasant morning mood. At first he didn't even remember the wonderful thing that occurred the night before. He watched the beam of sunlight that shone in from the crack in his curtains and became fascinated by the teeny, curly particles floating in it. The room seemed so vivid to him. He felt as though he'd slept an incredibly peaceful sleep.

Then he caught a scent in the air, one that he knew well. His room smelled like Kyle. Cartman allowed himself a retarded grin as he realized why this morning felt so goddamn good. Last night he had made out with a nearly-naked redheaded sex kitten. Cartman stretched out his arms and propped his head up with them in a smug posture. Yep, Kyle had been all over him like a drunken sorority girl.

More than the naughty stuff though was knowing that they were…what, a couple? No, that was too girlish of a thing to be. Boyfriends sounded way too gay. Well, they were something more anyway, even if Cartman couldn't think of a title right this second. He'd been straightforward with Kyle; he wouldn't settle for Booty-call. Not that he really would've suspected that anyone would want to use him for sex, but he was a little too invested in Kyle for settling for anything less than… whatever the hell they were.

He couldn't wait to see Kyle again, to let his lips roam wherever they willed. The problem was Kyle's bitch of a mother.

Stan had called Cartman's phone at like 9 o'clock last night. By this point Cartman had had sore lips and balls as blue as a Crayola color. Part of his decision to answer the phone had been his amusement that it was Stan calling. Cartman's brain had sung a little song. It'd gone something like, "La la la, I'm kissing your best friend and you don't even know it" before answering.

"Is Kyle still there?"

Cartman had looked at the breathless boy in his bed. Kyle was worried about what he might say. He had tried to stop Cartman from answering. So, there was no fucking way he was going to jeopardize these gropes and kisses just to freak out Stan. Though he would totally love to drop that kind of bomb on that uptight fucker. "Yeah, what do you want?"

"Can I talk to him?"

"No, this is my phone Stan. If you want to talk to Kyle, you can call his phone." Jesus, when did he become Kyle's fucking secretary?

"Asshole, he's not answering his phone," said Stan tersely.

"Maybe he's avoiding your calls. Did you piss him off?"

Cartman had smiled at the angry noise that Stan made. Kyle had sat up from the bed and reached for the phone. That took Cartman, the tormentor's smile away. He didn't like feeling like Kyle's fucking employee. "Fine you assholes, just wipe the goddamn phone off after you use it. I don't need any goddamn Jew germs!" He'd chucked the phone at Kyle's head; it smacked into his chin. Kyle flashed a dangerous red, swore a bit, and picked up the phone that had dropped onto the bed.

He'd watched Kyle's face become worried. Cartman had known then that their fun time was over, at least for tonight. It turned out that Mrs. Broflovski had been ringing Kyle's cell phone ever since he had failed to show up for dinner. Eventually she'd called Stan, since if Kyle wasn't home, he'd be with Stan. When Stan had told her that Kyle was at Cartman's, she had wigged out so drastically that he'd offered to get a hold of Kyle himself as a sort of buffer.

"Thanks man, I owe you. Bye!" Kyle had said and then hung up. He'd looked at Cartman testily. "Would you like me to wash off my Jew germs?" he asked sarcastically.

With a faux frown, Cartman had replied, "I think the damage is already done." Then he'd re-joined Kyle on the bed and pressed his sore lips against the smaller boy. "I'm already feeling covetous."

Kyle's eyes had smiled warmly at him, hearing the compliment even in the insult. "I have to go home you know. Ma's been trying to call me all night. I never turned my phone back on from laser tag."

"Laser tag?" asked Cartman. That was a sport for like, elementary school kids. He'd never been into the game, having only tried it the one time. Big-boned kids were total victims in a Laser Tag game. He'd gotten so pissed off by all the little skinny ass kids focusing their guns on him, that'd he'd left before the round was even up. "What are you, like nine?"

Kyle sighed. "It was just something to do." His eyes glanced around the room. "We need to find my clothes."

Cartman had vehemently disagreed. He'd just watched as Kyle gathered up his clothes and put them on. It was such a fucking waste. Yeah, Kyle wasn't going to win any prizes for that sickly ass physique, but damn it felt good to the touch. He hadn't attempted to hide any of his disappointment and annoyance at Kyle's leaving. In fact, he'd crossed his arms and scowled. Well, pouted was more accurate.

When Kyle had been ready to go, he'd approached Cartman, who was sulking on his bed, in a way that got his attention. Kyle had crawled across the bed to him on all fours with a devious glint in his eye. Cartman had wanted so badly to… well, he'd wanted Kyle so badly. What he wanted to do was fucking everything. He wanted to do every disgusting thing that Kenny often yammered about having seen in porn. That expression of wickedness on Kyle's face had appeared infrequently over the years, but Cartman had always fucking loved it. Now, the sex-kitten was doing it in his bed and it was driving him wild.

So, he'd melted like butter as Kyle had climbed over him and kissed him passionately, forgetting that he was supposed to be miffed. The kiss had ended too fast, leaving him wanting way more, but Kyle was in a hurry. On his way out the door, Kyle had said something to him that he didn't hear often. "Thanks. I really appreciate everything."

For some reason, Kyle being grateful for his help embarrassed Cartman. He'd just waved a hand as a "forget about it" type gesture and Kyle had slipped out of the room. Like a lovesick puppy, Cartman had hurried to his window to watch Kyle slip into the night. Kyle, illuminated by streetlights, had his phone to his ear as he walked down the street. As if it wasn't bad enough that he was watching Kyle leave, Cartman had pressed his fingers lightly against the window, missing him already.

God, he was fucking lame.

Well, it was now the first day of Christmas break and it was going to be the best one ever. He could hear his mom's singing downstairs, no doubt already hard at work on his first vacation meal. His stomach and bladder both urged him to get out of warm, comfortable bed. He did, but only with loud groaning noises.

Cartman still slept in pajamas as he had since he was a kid. Occasionally, he missed the pants that had the built in booties on the bottom. He did on this cold morning the instant that his bare feet touched the bathroom tile. He hadn't bothered to put away the first aid items that he had used on Kyle last night; he'd only moved them to the counter in order to use the toilet before bed. While he relieved himself, he looked warmly at the bottles and then the counter, envisioning the lusty ginger as he'd been the night before.

He washed his hands and brushed his teeth. He had severely gross morning breath that he assumed must be the Jew germs in his mouth. So, if he was going to keep kissing Kyle, he'd have to develop a stricter dental regime.

The house smelled fucking edible as he came downstairs to the kitchen. He could've eaten the air he was so damn hungry. "Morning mom!" he greeted, bending down and kissing her on the cheek as he did most mornings.

Cartman's mom smiled and grabbed his plate from off the kitchen counter. It was all hot from the stove. She made triple berry pancakes and apple sausage. His stomach roared. Apparently making out built up an appetite. Since he'd never made out before, Cartman didn't know if it was any making out that did this or if it was just after kissing a particularly anorexic person.

"Would you like to eat it here or in the living room hun?" she asked, holding his plate.

Cartman opted for the living room, so that he could watch Saturday morning cartoons. The food was delicious and the cartoons were funny. He was really living the good life.

&&


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Being grounded over the first three days winter break was bad, but when it happened to follow the formation of a new, highly unorthodox relationship with Cartman, it was unbearable. Kyle wanted to make sure that Cartman wasn't currently filled with regret over their make-out session. He also wanted to start up a second one. He was going to be eighteen in May and it seemed extreme to be grounded just for not calling his mommy when he was going to be late for dinner.

Kyle paced his room angrily. He'd already spent hours playing an MMORPG, but he was feeling antsy. The other guys would be out doing stuff, enjoying their freedom.

He plugged the charger into his phone and went through all the missed call alerts before ringing his voicemail. The first message was from Cartman. "Answer your damn phone." This was followed by a second message that made Kyle laugh out loud. "I hate you Kyle. Why do you have to waste my fucking time like this?" Cartman was such an impatient individual.

The next three were from his mother. They were progressively angrier. Kyle deleted them, feeling quite irritated himself. It didn't take much to rile up his mother and so he usually walked on eggshells around her, but last night he'd had to take care of things that were more important than being sensitive to her feelings. For once, he'd let his feelings matter more.

He wanted to call Cartman. Would that be weird though? He never called Cartman. Usually it was Stan or Butters that got a hold of him when they all wanted to hang out. The last time that he and Cartman had seen each other, they'd been fastened at the lips, so Kyle decided that it would just be too weird. So, he hit the speed-dial for Stan.

"Hey dude," greeted Stan.

"Hey," Kyle said back. "How are you?"

There was a lot of background noise wherever Stan was. Kyle conjectured that it was a restaurant from the clinking he heard. "I'm good. Hey, um, it's not really a good time right now. I'm at Applebee's with Valerie."

Kyle smiled. Stan had finally worked up the nerve to ask Valerie out. She was a junior that he'd been infatuated with for the past month. He'd promised Kyle that he'd ask her out before Christmas. Well, nothing like waiting until the last minute; Kyle was just surprised that he'd even done it. A girl pretty much had to club Stan over the head and drag him back to her cave to get him alone. It worked out nicely for Kyle, since his friend couldn't nag him for not dating if he didn't either.

Unfortunately, with how little interaction they had with the opposite sex, Stan because he was shy and Kyle because he wasn't into the ladies, they'd earned a rather gay reputation. The people that really mattered to them knew the truth and that was what was important. It had bothered them more back when they were freshman. Now that they were nearly out of high school, it didn't seem like as big of a deal what their classmates thought. Stan didn't realize that the school was half-right in their assumptions, though Kyle was far from gay for Stan. Oh, he'd had a crush for a while, but developing a crush on your best friend wasn't a rare thing. It had never panned out into anything, since Stan was as straight as a ruler and Kyle had outgrown the idea.

"That's great!" Kyle said into the phone enthusiastically. "Good luck!"

He heard Stan smile, could picture it well. "Thanks. I'll call you back later. Bye."

"Bye," he echoed.

So Stan was on a date with Valerie. She was a beautiful girl, smart too. She had short black hair and a sweet disposition. He hoped it went well for Stan. For a minute, Kyle pondered how strange it was that they both would be starting a relationship at the same time. He laughed in his head a bit at the thought of comparing him and Cartman to a normal high school romance. God, Stan would pop a gasket if he knew. It might be kind of fun to see though.

Kyle looked at the phone in his hand. He scrolled through his contact list to "Fatass"; it was near the top since Kyle didn't have that many people he phoned regularly. Hm, he should probably change that soon. He pressed the green call button.

Two rings later, he was greeted with, "You see? This is how you answer a phone you brain-dead ginger!"

Amusement flitted through Kyle. He pretended to be irked by the comment. "Whatever fatass." Cartman was breathing heavily. He must have run to get the phone. Was that just to make a point or was he eager to hear from Kyle? "What are you doing?"

"Eating dinner. We actually eat here."

Kyle figured that Cartman would be eating. "Yeah, I can tell dude."

"Eh!" yelled Cartman. Then he added, "I might be willing to share if you got your scrawny ass over here."

It was sweet that Cartman was inviting him to dinner and Kyle was even more pissed at his mom's ridiculous discipline. "Can't, I'm grounded."

"She is such a bitch. Just cause you were late? Damn, you need to put that woman into place."

Kyle lay back on his bed. This wasn't feeling weird at all. He should have called Cartman to talk before. He just always felt that calling someone just to chat was kind of… gay. It made it even more so when the person you were calling was the guy that you had a gay crush on. "And how would you suggest I do that?"

Cartman thought quietly for a second. "Well, intimidation is right out since you're a fucking midget…"

"Fuck you!" Kyle interrupted. He hated when Cartman teased him about his height. He was used to the Jewish jokes or the ginger jokes, but it was only recently that he'd realized this was about as tall as he was going to get and was still a tad sensitive about it.

"You're grounded remember?" said Cartman pointedly. Kyle's face warmed. He hadn't meant it literally, but he was so delighted that Cartman had thought of it. It was silly, but he was kind of afraid that he'd wake up this morning and everything that had happened the night before would be just a dream or that Cartman would change his mind. Hell, there was still the possibility that this was all an elaborate trick to hurt him. Cartman had certainly done his share of those over the years. Cartman spoke again, "Corporal punishment."

"What?" asked Kyle, forgetting about their conversation about his mother.

"For your mom dipshit. I don't believe in this pussy time-out crap. If you want to train your mother, you have to be ready to use force."

Outwardly, Kyle sighed, but inside, he laughed. "Like you do for rainforest creatures." He was referring back to a time in like, third or fourth grade when they'd taken a field trip to the rainforest. Cartman had run around smacking the animals they came across with a stick. It was all part of his _authoritay_ crap that Kyle found amusing and stupid at the same time.

"Whenever your mom opens her bitch mouth, you just like, punch her in the kneecap."

"Goddammit Cartman, I am not that short!"

"You look like it to me," muttered Cartman. Yeah, sure, to the 6'4" guy he looked like a midget.

"We can't all be giant lardasses," Kyle retaliated.

"Did you call me to insult me Kyle? Because I can hang up and get back to my dinner." Cartman's threat had no malice behind it. They were still playing with each other. There was a comfort in it, born from years of verbal sniping.

"What're you having?" asked Kyle. He hadn't eaten dinner yet. His mom hadn't called upstairs to tell him it was ready yet. The dinner wouldn't be as decadent as anything Liane would make though.

Cartman cleared his throat. "Well, I _was_ having 7-layer lasagna and garlic toast." Then his voice changed a bit, Kyle recognized it as a more serious tone. "What are you eating for dinner?"

Wow, thought Kyle, I really must be skinny. Of course he would eat dinner! He didn't skip that meal often even if he did occasionally miss lunch and always breakfast. "I don't know; ma hasn't come up to get me yet."

"Make sure she feeds you something," Cartman commanded. "I could fucking floss with you."

Kyle smiled evilly. "I think you already tried that."

Cartman was quiet and Kyle hoped that he'd made the brunette blush. In fact, the phone was silent for so long that Kyle considered making a hasty conversation change. He could talk about the weather or something that wouldn't make Cartman feel so uncomfortable.

"Yeah, about that…" started Cartman. A knot of worry curled in Kyle's stomach. He didn't like Cartman's wording. "When do I get to try that again?"

Relief and pleasure filled Kyle. So, Cartman did want to make this something. He sighed. "I'm grounded until Tuesday."

Cartman swore various profanities about Kyle's mother forcing Kyle to actually tell him to shut up. Then Cartman said, "Dinner here on Tuesday?"

Kyle laughed. "Are you asking me on a date?" He couldn't help being bratty since he just felt so damned good.

"Shut the fuck up dildo or I'll rescind the invite."

"Tuesday," Kyle agreed eagerly.

His mother knocked on the door then. "Time for dinner Kyle." Cartman must have heard her because he launched into another tirade. Kyle responded to her, "Be right down!"

Kyle sat up in bed, phone still to his ear. "I have to go, but Cartman…" He waited until he heard a "hm?" from the other end of the line. "On Tuesday, I'll provide the dessert." Then he hung up quickly, blushing so hard that it nearly hurt. He had never said anything so naughty to anyone, even over the phone. He bit his lip, smiling all the while. God, waiting 'til Tuesday was gonna take a fucking lifetime.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

During the three days of Kyle's incarceration, Cartman hung out with Stan, Kenny, and Butters though the absence of their comrade noticeably diminished the group's dynamic. Stan was all a-twitter about some skank he was dating; Cartman didn't even pretend to be interested. Kenny was pulling long shifts at his work lately since it was the holiday season, but he had both Sunday and Monday off.

"My boss gets pissed when I die on a weekend, since they're the busiest days, so usually I get Saturday and Sunday off," Kenny explained.

They were at the skate park. Stan and Kyle were the only ones who actually skateboarded; Cartman didn't enjoy any sports and it was too dangerous for Kenny or Butters. Of course, since the place was covered in snow, Stan hadn't brought his board. He'd been doing that less and less anyway. The four just hung out there because they were used to doing so.

They sat inside of a huge concrete tube tucked underneath one side of the half-pipe. The walls were covered with graffiti, some of it theirs. There was enough room to stand up inside the tube, but not so much that you'd want to jump around. Cartman had to duck a bit when he stood. He was watching Kenny while he talked to butters. The tube encouraged a fetal position while sitting, more by suggestion of shape than actual room constriction. Still, Kenny looked flung out a bit like a cat while talking to Butters, with a hand resting inches from Butters' leg. Cartman considered himself to be supernaturally attentive and an amazing assessor of people. Whether Kenny realized it or not, he was attracted to the smaller blond. Cartman found this noteworthy, filing it away into a mental filing cabinet of dirty deeds' ammo.

"But today I have off because I've been pulling too many hours and the cheap bastards don't want to pay me overtime."

Butters made a sympathetic sound. "Gosh, you work awfully hard don'tchya Kenny?"

"Ha! Yeah, the McCormicks have always been known for their strong work ethic," said Cartman sarcastically. He didn't know why he hung out with these jerk-offs. Well, Stan wasn't so bad, when he wasn't pining for some dame. Stan never tried to see him as better than he was like Kyle was always doing. He was still a douche of course, but a lesser douche.

Kenny flipped him off and then replied to Butters. "It's not so bad. It'll be easier once school is done. Man, if I hadn't promised God that I'd stay in school, I'd have already quit by now."

Butters fiddled with the chain on his wallet nervously. "Now Kenny, school is important. I can't wait to get my diploma."

Butters would be enthusiastic about a root canal, Cartman thought. When they were children, Butters was just someone that was easily coerced into things, which suited Cartman just fine since he liked coercing, but now that they were nearing adulthood, Butters' ingratiating personality repulsed him. He liked his friends to have more backbone, even if, as in Kyle's case, it annoyed the shit out of him. Just the fact that the little cocksucker still hung around with him after all the things that Cartman had done to him proved what an obsequious douchebag he was. Butters was like a dog that despite repeated kickings from its master was still ridiculously loyal.

Kenny groaned. "That's because you'll be able to do something with your diploma. Nobody outside of retail will ever hire someone that calls in dead every fucking week."

"Yeah, never mind the fact that you're white trash," added Cartman. Kenny's hooded head didn't even turn his way as he replied a standard "fuck you." Kenny had long outgrown the orange coat he'd worn all through grade school. He had replaced the jacket with a black inconspicuous coat in the hope that it had just been an unlucky color. No luck though, since he'd died the first day that he'd worn it. The one he was currently wearing was a leafy green and the hood was a loose one, the drawstrings broken. Now they could actually see Kenny's face, though it was often shadowed by the hood.

Stan sighed. Kenny looked at his friend. "What's up?"

"I miss Kyle," admitted Stan, unafraid to voice his feelings to his buddies. Most of the school just figured that Stan and Kyle were hot for each other and they'd been under that impression so long that it didn't really faze any of them. Only those that were closest to Stan and Kyle knew that there was only a platonic love there.

"Aw, how sweet," gushed Cartman. "Maybe you should write him a poem." He was mocking Stan, but he felt exactly the same way. If Kyle was here, he wouldn't be so goddamn bored. He'd have someone to toy with.

Stan glared at him and then returned to rolling around a pebble on the concrete floor. There was a trail of snow leading inside the pipe that had been dragged in by their feet. Stan was the closest to where they'd come in and occasionally he nudged the edge of the dirty slush with his toe.

"Why don't you call him?" suggested Kenny. "He's still allowed to use the phone right?"

At this suggestion, Stan brightened. "Great idea! I'll put him on speakerphone."

"God, can I not get one day away from him?" Cartman bitched. He was pleased that Kenny had proposed calling Kyle. For once that poor rat had done something right.

Noises in the tube sounded louder and clearer. They could hear each note of the phone as it dialed Kyle. It rang. "Good luck getting him to answer his…" started Cartman only to be interrupted by Kyle's voice.

"Hello?"

"Hey Kyle, it's Stan. You're on speakerphone. We're at the skate park."

Kyle whined jealously. "You're lucky. I've been cleaning my room. God, I'm bored." Stan didn't point out that even if he was at the skate park with them, Kyle would most likely be bored anyway. He set the phone on the ground beside him. "Who all is there?"

"The usual: me, Kenny, Butters, and Jabba." Cartman yelled out an obscenity-filled objection to Stan's name-calling.

Kyle's laugh filled the tube heating Cartman with a pleasant warmth. It was almost like Kyle really was there with them. It didn't even matter that Kyle was laughing at a jab directed at him. Cartman knew that he was liked, lusted after, regardless of how Kyle came across.

They alternated between saying nothing at all and regaling the others with some story or another. Butters complained about his adopted parents. His birth parents had been locked up for the psychotic weirdos that they were. The police had received a tip about the Stotches going on an interior decorator killing spree. When it had turned out to be true, they'd been sent off to jail and Butters had been sent to live with the Tweeks. For weeks Mr. and Mrs. Tweek had tried getting the boys to share one bedroom, but Butters went crazy from sleep deprivation. Once they had talked him down, naked and painted blue, from the roof of city hall, they'd installed him in his own bedroom.

Butters did pretty well at his new home, except for the fact that he had discovered for the first time in his life that he didn't like someone. Well, he didn't really like Eric either, but he could tolerate him. He did not like his new foster brother. Tweek shattered Butters' already raw nerves. Butters had seen too much in his childhood and was prone to periods of depression or high anxiety. Tweek only exacerbated these negative feelings. So, he avoided his foster brother as much as he could. He had latched onto Stan's group in junior high and despite repeated attempts from Cartman, he kept hold.

"They leave the television on all night on a really high volume. I'm starting to feel like I did before… you know, before the blue thing."

Cartman laughed. "Yeah and what was with the glitter on your ping-a-ling?"

Butters blushed. He didn't really remember the incident, but he'd seen the news footage over and over. Damn TiVo. He'd even been asked for his autograph after that. The media had linked his episode to a visit from celebrity Jodie Foster. They thought that he'd done it for her. He hadn't, but the restraining order was still enforced.

"Hey, I didn't get the chance to tell you guys about my visit to Dr. Mephisto's," said Kyle. He was switching the topic to something that was less embarrassing to Butters. Cartman knew that if it hadn't been him to do it, Stan would have. Cartman had no desire to be the friend of someone that was always willing to play the victim, but he had the feeling that Stan liked to be thought of as a hero.

Cartman gritted his teeth. "Hate…that…fucker." Dr. Mephisto had been the one to reveal that Cartman's mom was really his dad. Of course, he'd done it in front of the entire fucking town of South Park, so not only did he have to cope with that little nugget of goodness, but he couldn't just keep it as his dirty little secret. He'd spent so much time and effort, not to mention finances, to uncover the identity of his father for nothing. He had given up finding out who is mother was in case that was something just as horrific as finding out who his father was. Cartman hated Dr. Mephisto.

Stan sighed. "Man, I don't know why you go over there. He's such a freak."

"I get pre-college credits for the time that I spend helping over there," explained Kyle. Leave it to Kyle to make it all about educational crap. "Anyway, so he's created a new type of monkey."

"Let me guess," suggested Kenny. "Fifty asses?"

"No, it's even more disturbing than that dude. He's made these monkeys. He calls them Love Monkeys…" Cartman cackled at that. Dr. Mephisto was seriously disturbed. "They produce crazy amounts of pheromones, right? Well, anyone that gets a whiff of these monkeys wants to throw down with them."

The group was quiet taking this in. Stan was the first to exclaim, "Dude!" It was a heartfelt sentiment shared by the group. Cartman laughed. "So, you're getting school credit to bone monkeys?"

Kyle yelled at him. "No, fatass! I'm not boning any monkeys. They were in scent-proof cages, dickweed. I just thought it was funny."

"It's fucked up is what it is," commented Stan. "They really should lock that guy up."

Kyle was silent for a minute and then agreed. "Yeah, he's really fucked in the head. You should have seen it though. He showed me a tape of his lab assistant going into an adjacent room. Then Dr. Mephisto opened up the vents between the two rooms and all of a sudden his assistant started like, humping the wall and trying to get at the monkey."

"Is it possible to get hold of these pheromones for, um, ladies?" asked Kenny.

Stan groaned at nearly the same time that Kyle yelled out, "Don't be a pervert Kenny." Then, Kyle ended up answering him anyway. "No, he doesn't seem interested in using his experiment for anything practical. I think he kinda likes everyone to be shocked by the shit he comes up with."

After that, the conversation turned to more mundane topics. Cartman was excited that the voice on the phone would be in his home the following night. He had already told his mom that Kyle was coming for dinner. While the wait was still interminable, being able to talk with him had helped time pass more quickly. Cartman still had that sense of overall well-being that he'd had upon waking Saturday morning. The world just felt like it was positioned a little better than it had been before Kyle had kissed him. He rested against the hard cement around him, listening to his friends, and sighed with contentment.

* * *

Author's note: I made a fanvid! .com/watch?v=Hdn4eBXzqFM This story has me basking in this pairing's yummy goodness. Hmmm, looks like the site edits that URL. I'm sure that you can figure out where movies might be hosted right? *laughs*


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Tuesday. Somehow Kyle had survived to see the day of his first date with Cartman. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror, examining every blemish on his face and every odd tuft of red hair. He glared at the reflection of his nose, long and narrow like a beak and his lips that were too puffy like a girl's. Why did he have such exaggerated goddamn features? He longed to look like Stan did, just a standard hottie. Stan wasn't too thin or short or ridiculously red-haired. Why couldn't he look like Stan?

Of course, it was just as easy to ask himself why he cared now. It wasn't like Cartman was a GQ model either. Cartman was better looking than Kyle, even with the excess weight. He was taller than six foot, a trait that Kyle envied desperately with easily managed brown hair and masculine sideburns. Yes, he was too plump, but there was also some muscle beneath the fat; Kyle had felt it. He'd delighted in the strength hidden beneath the adipose tissue. Then there was Cartman's face which was handsome in an understated way. He had long lashes on eyes that were a brown that could be called chocolate if the observer was prone to embellishment. His nose was a normal size, another point of envy for Kyle. His chin was weak, but his second chin had vanished over the years, another indicator that he was getting slimmer. It was probably just the height that allowed him to carry excess weight more gracefully.

Kyle was wearing two shirts, both button-ups. The inner shirt was white, the outer was black. He'd folded the white collar atop the black. He thought it looked really spiffy. Since the top was dressier than he thought it should be, he decided to balance it out by wearing jeans. He hoped that the outfit wasn't too formal for dinner with Cartman. He really didn't know what to expect. That was one thing about Cartman; he always kept Kyle on his toes. Kyle could predict Cartman's actions only in a vague sense and even then, he was sometimes completely mistaken.

There was still a part of him that worried when he showed up that Cartman would look at him and laugh. "Oh man, you thought I was serious?" he'd say while closing the front door on Kyle's red face. It wasn't paranoia; at least, it wasn't unjustified paranoia. Cartman had done way worse to him in the past. He was trying not to think about it as he grabbed his house keys and coat.

He passed his mom and Oliver on the couch as he headed out. "Wow, you're dressed up bubbe!"

Shit, he was hoping that she wouldn't notice. He'd lied to her and told her that he was having going over to Stan's. He was pretty sure he understood why his mom hated Cartman, the same reasons he did, and he didn't want to get her pissed off for no reason. He'd warned Stan ahead of time that he was being used as an excuse. When Stan had asked Kyle why he needed the excuse, he'd declined to answer. It had bothered Stan, but Kyle wasn't sure he was ready to talk about things with Cartman. After all, they hadn't even really had any time together as a couple yet. He thought it best to give this thing with Cartman some time. If it worked out, then he'd tell his best friend.

"Thanks," said Kyle ambiguously and dashed out the front door.

It wasn't a long walk to Cartman's house and he was actually looking forward to it. He needed time to think of what he was going to say, going to do. He regretted his spontaneous remark to Cartman on the phone. 'I'll provide the dessert.' Fuck, why had he gone and said something like that? It had been on a whim, partially brought on by Cartman's insinuation that they couldn't fuck because Kyle was grounded. That had made him feel comfortable enough to proceed to make an ass of himself. He'd contemplated bringing a pie or something, to get out of it, but he knew that Cartman had understood the message.

It had been really nice of Stan to hook him up with the guys through speakerphone. He'd felt like he was there with them, throwing out insults and making inane comments like he always did. It sucked that Kenny had had time off for once and Kyle had missed it. Ever since Thanksgiving, Kenny had been at Build-a-Bear constantly when he wasn't in school or deceased. Kyle had missed his friend.

It would be weird when fall rolled around, being in a school that didn't have Kenny in it, but Kenny had made perfectly clear that his educational obligations to God ended after high school. He didn't even want to try to build a career for himself. Even if Kenny was a little bit slow when it came to book smarts, he was really very wise for his age. He always seemed to know things before any of the others did. He'd figured out how the desire for sex ruled so many people back when they were in grade school, doing dirty things for money. There was an honesty about Kenny; he didn't try to pretend that the world was anything other than it was. He accepted the good and the bad and that just sort of muddle through it, trying to get the few things that he wanted.

During Freshman year, Kenny had become obsessed with not dying. He had worn padding underneath his clothes and a helmet. He'd safety-proofed his house and changed parkas just in case it was the orange that was making him an easy target. It was like he had just gotten fed up with the whole casual mortality thing. They'd had to come over to his house to visit him, since he refused to leave home for anything other than school. Of course, they didn't see much of him because they fucking hated going to Kenny's house. Kenny's parents were drunks, there was a myriad of children running around that Kyle couldn't honestly say were all Kenny's siblings, and there was nothing to do and no food to eat. After Paul Bunyan had crushed Kenny's house underfoot while training for a mythological marathon, he'd stop trying to fight fate. He'd helped his father rebuild the house after he'd come back to life and went back to being normal Kenny.

As he neared Cartman's house, Kyle got more nervous. This was going to be really weird. Would Cartman's mom be around? Kyle knew that she would be the one that made the dinner, but would she eat with them? More than that, did Cartman tell her that it was a date? Kyle's stomach clenched as he walked up the path to Cartman's front door. He'd been waiting too long for this. He hadn't just been waiting during the three days of his punishment, but also the long years since he'd realized his feelings for Cartman.

He rang the doorbell. Almost immediately, Cartman opened it. Relief flowed through him. Cartman was dressed up too! He had on black jeans and a long sleeve button shirt. Cartman smiled at him. "Hey Jew-boy," he greeted, the excitement evident in his eyes. "So, the bitch finally let you out huh?"

Cartman stood back a bit to allow Kyle to enter the house. He didn't give much room though and he brushed against Cartman as he walked inside. Kyle was sure that had been deliberate. He stepped into the warmly decorated house. There was a half-assed attempt at a Christmas tree in the living room decorated with a crazy amount of tinsel. Beneath that were more presents than Kyle had ever seen under one tree. There were two stockings hung up on the wall that led to the kitchen. One was bursting with stuff. It smelled like peppermint, warm cookies, and fir tree.

"Wow," said Kyle. "It looks like Christmas in here."

Cartman laughed. "Those of us that didn't crucify the savior think this is an important holiday."

He looked back at Cartman and glared. Cartman, who had closed the front door and was now leaning back on it, didn't seem to mind a bit. He was looking oddly comfortable and… happy. Kyle wasn't used to seeing Cartman look happy. It fit oddly on him, like hand me down pants, but it was something that Kyle still wished happened more often.

Now feeling more at ease, Kyle walked to the Christmas tree and inspected the decorations that were barely visible under the wall of silver slivers. "Oh my god!" he exclaimed, pulling one out so that he could look at it closer. "I remember this one!"

Cartman approached him, looking over his shoulder. "Yeah, first grade I think."

The ornament was made out of that clay that hardens in the oven. It had been shaped into a very unconventional oval and then painted on. The paints used had been the inexpensive kinds that only came in the primary colors. Kids had to mix them together to get the colors that they needed. Only it seemed that more often than not, a mixture would produce a green tinged with grey. It was a Christmas tree and it had a little yellow blob next to it that was supposed to be Cartman. "I remember you painting this," Kyle said. His face turned over his shoulder to look at Cartman.

"That was a long ass time ago," said Cartman, as if he didn't believe Kyle.

Kyle shook his head. "Not that long." Then he touched at the Christmas tree's yellow blob star. "I tried to make a Menorah, but it came out like a big yellow splat. When I was feeling bad about it, you teased me saying that I deserved it for being Jewish."

Cartman's breath touched Kyle's ear when he spoke. "Guess it hasn't been that long then." Kyle felt Cartman's large hand cover his shoulder. "You're still a Jew."

Kyle replied, unmoving and basking in his proximity to Cartman. "And you're still an asshole." He heard Cartman's smile.

Liane entered then. "Oh hello Kyle."

Cartman's hand was off him faster than a lightning bolt and they both fidgeted guiltily, Kyle still holding the Christmas ornament. She watched them as they attempted to look innocent and natural. It made her hesitate for a second, but then, she smiled brightly and said, "Happy Hanukkah!"

Actually, Hanukkah didn't start until the next day, but it was nice of her to remember that he didn't celebrate Christmas. "Happy Hanukkah!" he said back.

Cartman groaned. "Oh, don't humor him mom." He headed over to the couch and plunked down. "We can't start treating the Jews like their beliefs matter."

There was a lack of surprise from Liane; she must be used to her son's horribly racist ways. Hell, Kyle had gotten used to it and he was often its target. "Dinner is ready whenever you two boys are."

"'Bout time!" declared Cartman, rising from the couch. He headed into the dining room. As he brushed past his mom, he whispered something to her and pecked her forehead. Kyle beamed. He was positive that Cartman had said thank you before kissing her. What was up with this discreetly polite Cartman and what did he have to do to get this side?

Kyle followed Cartman into the dining room. It had been set with a tablecloth and real cloth napkins. Cartman was fetching some glassware from the cupboard. When he saw Kyle enter the room, he bragged, "I set the table."

"You want a… medal?" He'd almost said the F word in front of Liane. Even though she was a crack whore, Kyle had been raised well enough to try not to swear in front of adults.

"Hey!" said Cartman. Then he mumbled while placing the glasses on the table.

Kyle grabbed a chair. "Okay to sit here?" The table was round so it wasn't that important, but he didn't want to usurp Liane's chair if she was going to be eating with them.

"Sit anywhere you'd like Kyle," said Liane, rinsing something in the sink.

He stuck his tongue out at Cartman as he sat down. Cartman carried a butter dish over to the table with his middle finger displayed towards Kyle who didn't even pretend not to be amused. "Are you gonna sit down woman?" Cartman asked his mom.

"Oh, yes, I was just going to put some flowers into this vase as a centerpiece," she explained.

Cartman sat down at the table and rolled his eyes at Kyle. "We're guys mom, we don't care about faggy flowers."

Liane turned from the sink, the flowers tucked neatly inside the vase she held. She was always so damn cheerful. Kyle couldn't comprehend how a woman that lived her kind of life could always be so upbeat. Maybe it had something to do with the drugs. If he was Cartman's mom, he'd probably take drugs too. Then Kyle felt bad for thinking an insult so low that he wouldn't even use it.

She placed the flowers on the table. It obscured half of Kyle's view of Cartman's face. It was a nice idea though. He smiled at her gratefully.

Cartman growled. "See mom? Now we can't even see over them!"

Liane frowned, but only for a second. "Oh you're right p… Eric. I'll just set these aside for now. They can go on the table when we're all done eating." Her floral bubble sufficiently popped, she sat down.

The spread before them was impressive. The focus of the meal was a golden honey ham, which looked really good to Kyle and he wished that he could eat it. All the little plates around it though were plenty to be considered a meal. There were mashed potatoes, candied yams, buttery corn, fluffy biscuits, green beans with almond slivers, and cheesy poofs. The meal could easily have fed ten people, but it was only the three of them. Not for the first time, Kyle understood why Cartman had always had weight issues.

"So Kyle, your mother tells me that you're going to community college in the fall. Have you decided on a major?"

Kyle was surprised to hear that his mom even talked to Liane with how notoriously judgmental Sheila Brofloski was, let alone that they were discussing him. Cartman looked interested in his response. Kyle never talked about college around Cartman, because he didn't want to come across as more brainy than he was and because he had the impression that Cartman wasn't planning on going further in school.

"Um, no. My dad used to talk about me being a lawyer like him, but um, he doesn't really care much anymore. I've thought about teaching maybe."

Liane nodded at him. Cartman snickered. "Are you going to use a sock puppet?"

Kyle laughed. "Mr. Garrison was such a messed up teacher!" He had put more food onto his plate than he thought that he could eat. It was hard to gauge since there was just so much damn food on the table.

"I think that teaching would suit you," Liane said. "You've always been such a bright boy."

Her compliment embarrassed him. He shoved some green beans in his mouth to avoid having to reply. For once, Cartman didn't take the opportunity to mock him. "Were you ever interested in the lawyer thing or just thinking of doing it because your dad does?"

Kyle thought about it. He liked the idea of helping the justice system, putting criminals away, but most of what his dad did was just the stupid things like divorces or property disputes. He knew that he could never be an attorney for anyone that he knew was guilty either. Finally, he shook his head. "No, I never wanted to."

"Good thing that he lost interest then," said Cartman off-handedly. That pissed Kyle off. Cartman was one of the few people that knew just how badly he was taking this thing with his parents, so he shouldn't be so cavalier about it. After Cartman finished chewing though, he added, "It's better that you're happy than living up to someone's expectations."

That actually made some sense, though Kyle was still a bit bristled. "What are you going to go to school for Cartman?" He was baiting him a bit. Cartman wasn't smart enough to handle college.

Cartman didn't seem to notice that it was meant meanly. He shrugged. "I'm not going to college. You ever notice that guys that make a lot of money never have degrees?" Kyle hadn't, but he didn't say so. "I'm gonna figure out a way to be really rich without all that bullshit school."

Kyle thought back to all of Cartman's various ten million dollar schemes. Yes, if anyone could pull off getting rich without really having to work at it, it could be Cartman. "Kenny's not going either," he said.

"That's cause he can't afford it," snickered Cartman. "He's going to be the guy that pumps the gas into my limo."

Even though he knew that Cartman was just blowing smoke out his ass, he shook his head. "I don't think that Kenny is going to ever be near a gas station again after that Shell station exploded."

"Oh yeah." Cartman pondered that for a second. "He was dead a long time after that one."

Liane added, "Shame about all those wildebeests."

The meal moved slowly. The strain of having to talk with a friend's mother wasn't as noticeable as it could have been. Kyle found Liane to be a pleasant conversationalist and a great listener. Any time that Cartman talked, she would hang on his words as if they were proclamations from above. She also added some interesting tidbits of her own to the conversation.

It wasn't until the meal was already winding down and even Cartman was getting full that Liane's cell phone rang. Cartman whined, "On Christmas eve mom?"

Liane looked guilty for a minute. Then, she reached into her pocket and answered. "Hello?" she purred. "Oh, that sounds fun! I can be there in fifteen minutes. Yes, $75 a pop."

Kyle watched Cartman's face during this interaction. He saw the wall of coldness build itself back up behind Cartman's eyes. Damn, maybe it wouldn't be so great to have Liane as a mom.

After she hung up the phone, Liane stood up from the table. "I'm sorry poopy-kins. Work calls." She kissed the top of his head. "I'll be home late." Before she left the room, she remembered Kyle. "Oh, and it was so nice of you to join us!"

Kyle muttered a thank you, though he was glad just to have her out of the room. Cartman forced a little more food into his mouth, attempting normality as Liane stomped about upstairs, preparing for her work. Once she had left the house though, Cartman stopped eating. He carried his dish to the sink and began to rinse it.

Kyle sat uncomfortably at the table, looking down at his plate. He hated to see Cartman unhappy. He grabbed his plate and placed it on the counter next to the sink. The sight of Cartman being domestic would have been amusing in any other situation.

Kyle wrapped his arms around Cartman, whose body jumped at the unexpected touch. His hand slid around Cartman's hips and joined at the front of his belly. His forehead rested on the ample back in front of him. He was waiting for a response from Cartman since he wasn't sure if this was okay. Cartman stopped washing dishes and the two stood together like that, Cartman's hands beneath the running faucet.

There it was again, that feeling of safety. Kyle knew it was more than just being snuggled against Cartman's bulk. It was how he'd felt the whole time he'd been bandaged up by Cartman. He truly believed that Cartman would protect him from anything. Maybe it was giving too much credit to the boy who had in fourth grade given him AIDs, but it was how he felt at that moment.

Kyle was relieved when Cartman's wet hand covered his, no doubt soaking his shirt. A thumb moved across Kyle's hand, caressing it tenderly.

Cartman sighed. "Fuck Kyle, what are you doing to me?" he whispered. Kyle had literally never before felt the kind of elation he felt at those words. Not even Cartman turning around and kissing him trumped hearing him actually confess to caring. Kyle hadn't ever felt so special before; he'd captured the affection of Eric the terrible.

The height difference made things a bit uncomfortable for him since he had to stand on tip-toe. He figured that it must be worse for Cartman, having to hunch over, so he broke off from Cartman. "Upstairs?" he suggested. He saw the surprise in Cartman's eyes. Yes, it might be a bit forward, but it beat kissing in awkward positions over a sink full of dishes. He didn't even wait for a response before grabbing Cartman's hand and pulling him back towards the living room.

"Wait a second you eager trollop," snapped Cartman. Kyle allowed Cartman to release his hand. He could tell from the colorful insult that everything was fine, so he watched impatiently as Cartman went back to the sink and turned off the faucet. Kyle received a pointed glare, but he took it as a good sign. Cartman leaned down and pressed his lips to Kyle's, then straightened up. "What're you waiting for?"

Kyle gave Cartman a shove as he went past. The two slapped, poked, and shoved on the walk up to Cartman's room, behaving not like the near adults that they were, but like excited eight-year olds. In a way, it was a bit like returning to those times before Kyle had started feeling awkward with Cartman. They were just boys goofing off.

Kyle was first to arrive at the bedroom door, but as he placed a hand on the knob, he was yanked by the back of his coat collar. He stumbled backwards as Cartman darted to the door ahead of him. Kyle squinted his eyes in a glare as Cartman opened it and entered the room.

"And that's why…" Cartman started, turning around in a winner's posture, then was suddenly cut off by Kyle launching into his stomach. They were propelled several feet until Cartman's legs collided with the bed. They both landed heavily, Cartman on the bed and Kyle atop him. They laughed.

Kyle sat up and straddled Cartman's hips. This was a bit tricky since Cartman wasn't completely on the bed his knees bent over its side. He grabbed hold of Kyle, keeping him where he was, while repositioning himself. Kyle waited like a rag doll as Cartman's legs and ass shimmied and bounced until he was lying full-length across the bed. It was erotic in a tender way. Kyle appreciated that Cartman hadn't wanted him off, even while rearranging their position. He also liked that Cartman's hands stayed on his waist even after they were moved.

Kyle's hands pressed down on Cartman's expansive chest. There was no mistaking the desire he saw in those deep brown eyes or felt pressing against his ass. He leaned down to kiss Cartman whose eyes closed expectantly. When their lips touched, Cartman's hold tightened. Kyle's lower lip caressed Cartman's while his tongue licked playfully at Cartman's upper lip. The hours of making out they'd done on Friday had introduced Kyle to what Cartman liked, kiss-wise, and he felt rewarded by Cartman's shiver at his tongue play.

Leaning back up, Kyle's hands moved downward from Cartman's chest to the hill of his belly. He was sitting on where his hands wanted to go. He raised up a bit so that he was sitting on his knees rather than Cartman's pelvis. His hands moved lower, over Cartman's belt, to an area of Cartman that had been a mystery to Kyle for years. He'd seen Cartman naked many times in their childhood, but Kyle didn't know how he'd developed since then. Their gym teacher didn't enforce any shower policies, so no one ever had to get naked after PE.

As his hands reached the hard lump, annoyingly undefined beneath the thick denim, Cartman grabbed his wrists. Surprised, he looked at Cartman for explanation. "Damn Kyle, do you have to do that?"

Kyle was confused. "How else would we get started?"

Cartman's eyes widened. In an instant, Cartman was pushing, more like guiding gently really, Kyle off. "Started?" Cartman sat up, turning his body away from Kyle. "Jesus."

Was this the moment when Cartman would reveal that it had all been a prank? 'No, it couldn't be,' thought Kyle. He had felt Cartman's arousal first-hand, knew without a doubt that Cartman, or at least his penis, wanted him. Angrily, Kyle demanded, "What?"

He noticed then that Cartman was shaking. His hand involuntarily reached out and placed a hand on one shaking shoulder. "Cartman?"

"You want to have sex," said Cartman.

Fucking of course he did! Kyle had been shamefully attracted to Cartman for years! He'd been one of Kyle's first masturbatory fantasies. Yes, a lot of the time that he'd been carrying this fucked up torch had been hell for him and he'd wished for it to go away harder than he had wished for his parents to get back together, but they were here now. Cartman had kissed him, groped him, even invited him to Christmas dinner. How was it strange then for Kyle to want that physical intimacy?

Kyle was angry with the righteous indignation that only Cartman could stir in him. "Of course I want to have sex!" he practically yelled at Cartman's insensitive back.

"I don't…" whispered Cartman.

Kyle lost it, he was Hulk-enraged. "What the fuck do you mean? You invited me over! You flirted with me, you made out with me, and…and…" He was so mad that he was having trouble thinking.

Cartman turned towards him, one leg Indian-style on the bed. There were unshed tears in his eyes. Kyle's anger perished, even before Cartman explained himself. "I don't want to… yet." He sighed and blinked rapidly, trying to fan the tears with his eyelids. "Look, I know we've known each other forever, but we haven't known each other like this..." He spread his arms out to indicate the bed they were sitting on.

Cartman went silent and closed his eyes. The trembling stopped and when he reopened them, they contained the same self-satisfied look that he always had. He shrugged. "I want to wait."

Kyle had not yet formed an opinion about Cartman's words because he was still processing them. "You want to wait?"

"Yes."

"To have sex?" Kyle asked.

"Yes." This time there was annoyance in his voice, as if Kyle was being unbelievably dense.

"Until we're married?" asked Kyle, uncomprehending.

Cartman laughed and rolled his eyes. "No you fucking ass ranger! Just wait a while." He looked away as if embarrassed; he probably was. "Wait until we know each other this way."

From out of the confusion and receding anger, Kyle was beginning to feel a new emotion. What Cartman was saying was… romantic. Having never had anyone be romantic towards him, Kyle was shocked by the effect it was having on him. Cartman wanted to wait to make it more special. "That's _really_ gay."

Cartman thunked back onto the bed, pouting. "Whatever. I'm not the one suggesting butt sex."

The gesture was still hitting Kyle in little waves. It didn't occur to him until after he'd curled up next to Cartman's warm body how he was reacting to the turn of events. He was swooning; God help him.

He nuzzled into Cartman's arm and he raised it so that Kyle could rest his head on Cartman's arm nook. Cartman's hand petted his arm slowly. They lay there contently.

"So, I guess we should talk then," suggested Kyle.

They did. Lying in Cartman's bed, they talked for hours.

Cartman told Kyle about his secret plans to one day rule a country and how after graduation he wanted to take his jalopy on a road trip. He also talked about bad things like how it was growing up with a crack whore mother and the time that he had accidentally killed a cat with his car and was so shook up that he'd called in sick to school for a week. They laughed at his retelling of the time that he'd locked Butters in a bomb shelter and when he'd found the brown noise causing everyone in the world to lose bowel control.

Kyle vented more about his absent dad. He explained to Cartman how it felt when he'd cut himself. He confessed about having that short-lived crush on Stan and how he liked to sneak to the kitchen for sugary products while his mom was asleep.

They laid in various positions, always touching while they talked. Eventually, near midnight, Cartman asked Kyle if he should be getting home.

Kyle smiled deviously. "I told her I was sleeping over at Stan's."

Cartman raised an eyebrow at that. "Presumptuous slut," he'd replied.

"Well, if you don't want me to stay over, I could still go to Stan's…"

Cartman growled. "I think your sleepovers with that little pecker are over."

Surprisingly, Kyle only felt warmed by the demonstration of jealousy. He stroked Cartman's round cheek. "Can I stay then?"

Cartman nodded and kissed him.

They got ready for sleep. Kyle had only mouthwash and he envied Cartman's toothbrush. Cartman's hands never left his body for long. Kyle's poor confused penis attempted to cope with all the faux foreplay.

Finally, they crawled back under the covers, this time for sleep. Kyle slept in his underwear while Cartman wore pajamas. They curled up and waited for the sandman to come.

"Hey Jew," whispered Cartman. "Happy Hanukkah."

Kyle smiled. He would never have expected to hear that from Cartman. It made him feeling like being shocking back. "Merry Christmas… Eric."


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Since I'm not sure of Ike and Kyle's age difference, I have made Ike five years younger and since I really have no knowledge of Jewish tradition, I'm hoping that my googling has produced somewhat accurate information.

* * *

Chapter 5

With each inhale the stray red curl was pulled inside Kyle's freckled nose only to be released again when he exhaled through his mouth. His eyebrows, more brown than red, shifted frequently while he slept. Sometimes Kyle appeared to be scowling, other times he looked surprised. His face was narrow and long and not what most people would describe as attractive. Carman wasn't most people though he knew he'd feeling differently about Kyle's look if it wasn't for that maddeningly appealing personality.

Kyle was a good person, though less recognized for it than his best friend Stan. Cartman couldn't care less about this trait; Butters was good and he was a little douche. The thing that Cartman liked was Kyle's no bullshit policy. He simply wouldn't tolerate anyone trying to manipulate him, which was, of course, why it was so fun to do. He had a terrible temper, another fun button for Cartman. He liked order and was ungodly stubborn.

These traits of personality made Kyle's body more appealing. He also carried himself in a lithe manner, graceful even. Cartman found it hard to believe the midget had ever aspired to be a basketball star. He moved more like a dancer, especially when aroused, Cartman was finding out.

Soon Kyle would be waking up and Cartman had to stop staring lest he be caught. What he was doing was really gay. It was like he'd wandered on to the set of a romantic comedy and just decided to join the cast. Yes, he was watching Kyle sleep and no, he wasn't proud of it.

The ginger had turned him gay. He'd be seeking revenge for that if he didn't like Kyle so much. No other male had caught Cartman's attention. He had always found women attractive; he'd crushed on Wendy Testeburger for years, then Kyle found his way into his thoughts and that was it. No other person would do for fantasies.

Then when it had come down to crunch time, he'd pussed out. Kyle had been so deliciously eager, initiating everything. It scared Cartman. The second that Kyle's hand had touched him there, his brain had overloaded. Sounds of his mother's sex moans echoed through his head and it was like he could see every encounter she'd ever had flash past in an instant. It horrified him. Had he really been thinking of Kyle in the same way as those dirty clients had towards his mom? How could he cheapen Kyle or himself that way?

He'd made an excuse to Kyle, procrastinating doing the inevitable. Some day he would cave into his baser emotions, he knew that, but he didn't want to lessen their relationship. So, he'd told Kyle that he wanted to wait. With how eager Kyle was, it was surprising that he didn't put up much of an argument. Kyle argued about fucking everything.

Cartman could hear the sounds of his mother making breakfast downstairs. He had heard when she'd come in last night around two. The clock said that it was nine in the morning. It had taken forever for either of them to fall asleep, both unused to sharing their bed with another human. Often times Mr. Kitty slept with Cartman, but since he'd closed the door before they'd gone to bed, it was just his new redheaded kitten.

'Sex kitten,' he thought, smiling fondly down at Kyle.

Well, it was probably time to wake him up, since breakfast would be ready soon. He decided to do so with a kiss, which it turned out was way more romantic in the movies. As soon as his lip brushed Kyle's skin, Kyle lurched, awakened from his sleep with a start. His forehead rammed into Cartman's nose and he gasped in surprise.

"Ow! Jesus!" yelled Cartman, grabbing his nose and getting the hell away from the boy with the good reflexes.

Kyle's eyes were round, trying to figure out who was attacking him and why. He looked at Cartman clutching his nose and then around at the room that wasn't his own. He closed his eyes and chuckled. "Sorry, you startled me."

"Yeah, no fucking kidding!" snapped Cartman with one hand still clutching his nose. He watched Kyle glance at the clock. "I was going to offer you breakfast, but now I don't think you deserve it."

Kyle smiled patiently. He moved his face close to Cartman's. "I'll kiss it and make it better…"

That was a peace offering that Cartman could accept. He moved the hand on his nose to Kyle's chin and pulled him in for a kiss. It was a pleasant kiss. They had slept together and it was almost like Cartman could tell that just from the kiss alone. It felt cozy.

"I have to pee," said Cartman after they'd pulled apart.

"Me too. Hurry up."

Cartman stood up from the bed and straightened his pajama pants that had shifted oddly in his sleep. He scowled at Kyle. "Hey, this is my house and I'll take as long as I damn well want."

The nonplussed look Kyle gave him was humorous, but Cartman didn't break character as he stomped out the door. It did take him a little bit to pee after all, because he'd enjoyed that little morning kiss more than he thought. Kyle went in after him and Cartman noted that he'd put his clothes from the previous day back on. Again he thought how he preferred Kyle without clothes, but it was better if they were going downstairs to breakfast.

From the top of the stairs he could smell omelets. He appreciated the scent, following it more than he did the path of the stairs, like a hound dog. His mother smiled at him. "Good morning sweety!"

He returned the smile, though not as enthusiastically. "Morning mom." He pecked her cheek and set a hand on her slim shoulder. "Omelets?"

"Oh yes! With sausage and English muffins." They were still on the pan to keep warm, just in case Cartman was late in waking up.

"They look yummy mom." He sat down at the table, waiting for her to serve him. She did, setting the two omelets from his skillet onto his plate. Then on her way to the table, she pushed down on the toaster, starting the English muffins.

"We're going to need more omelets mom," said Cartman. He gestured to the kitchen's doorway where Kyle was hovering awkwardly.

She followed Cartman's motion and was surprised to see Kyle standing there. "Oh, Kyle. Oh." She looked down at her son. He wasn't sure what the look on her face was, but she was definitely surprised. Then, recovering, she greeted Kyle. "Well, good morning. Did you want one omelet or two?"

Kyle shook his head. "No thanks Mrs. Cartman. I'm not that big on breakfast."

Cartman tsked. "Don't listen to him. Make him one; he needs to eat more."

"Cartman, I'm not hungry," growled Kyle, sitting down at the table next to him.

"I didn't ask if you were hungry." He waved an egg covered fork threateningly at Kyle. "The animal shelter puts down animals that look like you!"

If it hadn't been for Cartman's mom busily cooking more omelets less than five feet away, Kyle would have said some very nasty things. Instead, he flipped Cartman off discretely.

"What are we doing today?" asked Cartman.

"Well, I usually spend Christmas over at Stan's family. You know, since my family doesn't do anything special usually, but since this year Hanukkah is on the same day, I'll have to head home before supper," Kyle explained.

Cartman had never realized that Hanukkah's date varied. There was a lot he didn't know about Judaism and he wasn't looking to learn.

Cartman's mom gasped suddenly and looked worriedly at Kyle. "Oh Kyle, can you have cheese with your egg or does that count as a meat?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Cartman. He deduced that it had something to do with the whole Jewish thing and it annoyed him.

It didn't bother Kyle, who lit up at her question. "Oh no, it's okay. I can eat cheese omelets. Just, you know, no ham." Cartman glared at Kyle, who just kept insisting on being Jewish. Kyle glared back while smugly thanking her. "Thank you for asking Mrs. Cartman."

"Mi mi mi mi mi…" mocked Cartman. "You fucking suckup." His mom was nice to everyone, but she seemed to like Kyle more than his other friends. Maybe it was because Kyle was a straight A student or something, but he wouldn't bear playing second fiddle to anyone in her eyes. Wasn't it enough to her that she was the mother of the smartest teenager in South Park? Did he have to get good grades to impress her? If so, it wasn't going to happen.

Pain jolted through his leg as Kyle kicked him. "Watch your language Cartman."

Cartman's mouth hung open in shock. Had Kyle just given him an order in his own house? Kyle's eyes glared defiantly, as if daring Cartman to contradict him. In truth, he was more shocked than anything. He felt that Kyle was being blatantly disrespectful to him regardless of the language that he'd used in front of his mom. It was like he hadn't caught on to the fact that Cartman was master of this house. "Don't think that you can start bossing me around now Ginger; I'm not Stan and you sure as hell aren't Wendy."

That swept the challenging look right off Kyle's face. At first his expression changed to one of surprise, but then he laughed. "Yeah yeah," Kyle said, waving his hand. Cartman was pleased with his win. With anyone else, he felt capable of out-arguing them, but not with Kyle. He smiled to himself. This just might work out, even if Kyle was a stinking Jew.

* * *

Amazingly, Kyle's mom was in a good mood when he arrived home. He had called Stan to make sure that she hadn't checked in on him though his phone showed no missed calls. She had not called and Stan was going crazy from not knowing his super best friend's secret. Kyle would've made up some plausible excuse, but this was Stan; there was no way Stan wouldn't see through any story that he concocted. Silence would have to be Kyle's plan of action for a while.

"Bubbelah!" his mom cried out as he walked through the door. "You made it just in time!"

"Oh goody," he thought as he scanned the roomful of relatives.

In the Broflovski household, the first night of Hanukkah was the big one that warranted an extended family gathering. This would have been more tolerable if it wasn't just another Hanukkah night gift-wise. Sheila and Gerald had always saved the best gift for the last. This was the first Hanukkah without his dad, but Kyle suspected that since it had always been his ma that ruled the roost, the holiday's protocol would remain the same.

There were eight people in the living room. His mom and Oliver were sitting together on the loveseat. Ike and his girlfriend Brittany were hovering in the doorway to the kitchen. Great-aunt Ethel rocked slowly in the glider. Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru, and their son Luke were on the couch.

"Hey everyone," he greeted lamely, shutting the cold air out. He was frosted with snow from the walk back from Cartman's. They'd had a great day of talking and making out divided by a nap. He'd left that comfortable decadence to trudge through snow to spend time with people he didn't like. Ah, the joys of holidays.

After taking off his mud/snow covered boots, Kyle tried to pass by their guests, but great-aunt Ethel caught hold of him with one old lady claw-hand. She insisted on a kiss on the cheek, which he did grudgingly.

"We need to light the Menorah soon; it'll be sundown soon!" said his mom rising from the loveseat. Oliver rose too, as if they were invisibly handcuffed together. "Everyone gather round!"

Ike gave Kyle a look as he made his way over with Brittany in hand. Kyle smiled. His brother, newly thirteen years old, was smarter than anyone in South Park. Excluding his girlfriend of the moment and Kyle, Ike had very little patience for other human beings. Kyle suspected it had something to do with his superhuman intelligence, but it could also have been feeling like an outcast since he looked so different from his peers. Ike would have been considered quite handsome if he lived in Canada. Here in South Park, he was often mistaken for a trash can. That totally didn't stop him from picking up women; he'd had his first love affair in kindergarten.

The look that Ike gave him was one of petulant tolerance. He hated family functions like any normal teenager. "Glad you could make it," his voice low, making the conversation relatively private. Brittany waved at Kyle and he waved back. Brittany went to Kyle's high school since she was a sophomore. The age difference didn't bother their mother who was quite used to her son's predilection for older women and was just happy that this one was still in high school. She did discourage his sexual antics, but Ike was a total sex addict, way worse than Kyle's second sluttiest friend Kenny. Ike said that his IQ dropped if he didn't get some regularly.

"I was at Stan's," Kyle lied. He watched his brother size up his statement.

"That so?" he asked, then smiled. "Well, it's a good thing that you got here before the Menorah lighting." Ike hadn't been born into Judaism since he was adopted, so that could have accounted for a bit of his skepticism. He found all religions to be humorous. He often talked to Kyle about how much a person's religious beliefs said about the person. Kyle just tried not to feel uncomfortable when his brother spoke so heretically.

In this case, his brother's skepticism was a relief. He was feeling way too stifled by familial enthusiasm. Cartman would have been bothered by all the Jews in one small place. Kyle laughed. "Yeah, that would have been a shame."

"Kyle only comes to Hanukkah dinner for the first present," he said to Brittany. She laughed.

Kyle objected, "Not in this family. I'm holding out for the eight night."

"You have a long wait ahead of you buddy," joked Ike. "Especially with this family."

"Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness," said Brittany absent-mindedly. Then she blushed as Kyle and Ike looked at her. "That wasn't mine. It's a Chinese proverb."

Hers or not, it encouraged Ike to kiss her proudly. "And a very appropriate one."

Even though Kyle was used to seeing his brother kissing women, it was the first time he'd seen it since he'd been doing it. For once, the pangs of envy that he felt were absent. He had someone of his own to kiss, though he'd never be able to bring Cartman to a Hanukkah function.

There was a lot of shushing then, as relatives poured in from other rooms of the house into the cramped living room. Kyle stood closer to Brittany, feeling a strange lack of discomfort. Maybe standing next to a beautiful woman felt less awkward after a whole night of making out with a not-so-beautiful man. Kyle's mom was standing with the slender lighter in her hand.

Before she lit the shemesh, she addressed the crowd. "I just wanted to say that I'm so grateful that so many of you could make it to our home tonight. Oliver and I," she hugged Oliver close to her side then, making Kyle cringe. "and my sons Kyle and Ike welcome you. Happy Hanukkah!"

Kyle's mom lit the shemesh that Oliver held out to her. She bent over the first candle with the shemesh and started to sing. The group immediately picked up. "_Ba-ruch ata, A-do-nai E-lo-hei-nu…" _

The words were familiar and soothing to Kyle, who had just realized that he was tense. He wasn't used to lying to his family. It made him feel like they were adversaries, which was totally unhealthy. He allowed himself to get drawn into the comforting ritual. "_…me-lech ha-o-lam, a-sher ki-de-sha-nu be-mits-vo tov, ve-tsi-va-nu le-had-lik neir shel Chan-nu-kah._"


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: I really hate writing naughty scenes, but it wanted to be written. If it's not a good one, I apologize in advance. Sex stuff is so not my forte. *coughs* In writing I mean. Also, there may be more typos in this because my beta reader boyfriend didn't want to read the hot man on man stuff. *shrugs* What're you gonna do?

Chapter 6

They spent nearly every day of winter break holed up at Cartman's. Each boy lost himself in the exciting pleasure of the new relationship. For twelve days they ignored the outside world, engaging in marathon make-out sessions that left both of them extremely pent up and deep conversations that gave them better insight into each other's souls than they'd had in the last twelve years of friendship.

Three days after Hanukkah Kyle just turned off his phone, tired of having to ignore the ringer. Stan called frequently, most likely wanting to hang out over the break like usual, but probably still curious about what Kyle had been doing overnight requiring an excuse. He didn't want to think about anything outside of their two-person bubble, not because the outside was bad but because the bubble was so good.

"Hey Cartman," Kyle nudged his sleeping boyfriend. "What are we going to do today?"

It was the last day of vacation. Going back to school felt like a punishment. If only every day could be like the last two weeks.

Cartman was burrito'd in the blankets. He always hogged them leaving poor Kyle chattering in the cold. All that he could see of Cartman was spiky brown hair. Their bodies were next to each other, even if Kyle was outside the blankets since he'd already made a morning trip to the bathroom. He was anxious to enjoy their last day of freedom.

Kyle leaned down and blew on the jutting locks of brown hair. They danced a little to his breath, but elicited no response from their owner. "Cartman…" he whined. Still no response.

Annoyed, he got up to find his clothes. There was a t-shirt and one sock near him. As he crossed the side of the bed near Cartman to find the other articles, he was yanked abruptly backward. He tumbled onto his boyfriend, letting out a cry of surprise. The big arms that wrapped around him didn't let go even as he smooshed Cartman beneath him.

Kyle flailed about feeling all off-kilter. "Cartman! Let me go!" One leg was off the bed and the other was in the air as he attempted to sit up and free himself of loving tentacles.

"Kyle, you are coming back to bed and you're gonna go back to sleep so that I can!" he commanded in his "authoritay" voice. Not that the tone ever worked on Kyle, but it was habit.

Kyle's abdominal muscles were objecting to the overuse as he tried to repel himself upwards. Cartman still clung on. "Dammit. Why do you have so much fucking energy?"

Kyle stopped moving for a bit, just so that he could argue with Cartman. He turned his face to the side, viewing Cartman's from his peripheral vision. "It's the last day of vacation."

"So?" asked Cartman.

His arms finally slackened a bit, allowing Kyle to get up. Of course, Kyle took the opportunity, bouncing up to his feet. He glowered down at Cartman with the shirt and sock still in hand. "So, this is our last chance to do stuff before having to go back to school."

Cartman looked at him with confusion in his features. He spoke slowly like he always did when he thought that he had to explain things to a dense Kyle. "And… if I want to sleep?"

Kyle regarded this snarky question with a glare. That was not how he wanted to spend his last free day. They had been in bed pretty much the whole vacation and he was antsy now, feeling like he had missed out on opportunities. It wasn't Cartman's fault that they hadn't done anything other than couple things, but it was something that Kyle wanted to change and it was obvious that he was alone in that desire.

He tugged at the bottom of the blankets, half-heartedly trying to uncover his boyfriend and to force him from the bed. He was trying to make a gesture more than an actual show of strength which Kyle was sure that he would lose if he tried. Cartman gaped at him, shocked at his audacity. His hands quickly grabbed the top of the blanket to prevent it from sliding further. He growled. "Look Jew, if you want to accomplish shit go ahead, but leave me the fuck alone."

It occurred then to Kyle what he wanted to do. He wanted to hang out with the guys. He was missing his friends and he wanted to see them outside of school. Stan, Kenny, and Butters had no doubt been hanging out this whole time and Kyle had missed out on that. It wasn't regret that he felt, he and Cartman had definitely had more fun, but he was eager to join in again.

He smiled at Cartman. "I'm gonna call Stan and find out what we're doing."

Finding his phone was linked to finding his pants since it was in the pocket. First he set down his shirt and sock on the floor. Kyle burrowed around the mess of clothes on Cartman's floor. He hadn't realized how all of Cartman's clothes looked the same until he'd had to spelunk through it all. For his part, Cartman returned to burrito mode and ignored Kyle who was far too awake.

"Gotchya!" exclaimed Kyle, finding his jeans. The bottoms were still a little wet from the stroll in the snow they'd taken the night before. He could just have Cartman throw them in the dryer so that he wouldn't have to walk around with slushy feet.

He dug out his cell phone and turned it on. When the starting music played Cartman shuffled around beneath the covers. He was pouting like usual; Kyle ignored him. Once everything was up and running on the phone, he pressed the speed dial button for Stan. He was eager to talk to his best friend and he felt a little guilty for having just shut him out for so long.

"You're alive?" asked Stan.

"Yep," confirmed Kyle.

"Good." Then the line went dead. Kyle looked at his phone. That was weird. Surely Stan hadn't hung up on him? He pressed the button for Stan again anxiously. It rang to voicemail. Oh, that was really not good.

Kyle bit his lip. He cut the call rather than leave a message. If Stan had done the same to him, he'd be just as put out. "He hung up on me," Kyle told the mass of blankets.

He heard Cartman laugh, which angered him. "Ha, what a girl," came a muffled insult.

Kyle frowned. He was unsure how to progress. He called Kenny instead. Kenny was always a good mediator and if he was too mad to speak to Kyle too, then he'd really fucked up big-time.

"Hello?" asked a feminine voice that sounded like a sibling rather than a mom.

"Hi, is Kenny there?"

"Kenny!" she yelled loudly. Kyle quickly pulled the blasting phone away from his ear. "It's the phone!"

He waited, hoping that Kenny was home and would pick up the phone. There was no way of telling with that kind of family. Luckily for Kyle, he did.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Kyle." He waited for the line to go dead as it had when he called Stan. Instead, he was greeted brightly by Kenny.

"Hey man! Where the fuck have you been?" He sounded happy to hear from Kyle. This cheered Kyle up quite a bit. Either reaction, Stan's or Kenny's, indicated that he was cared about, but he much preferred the enthusiastic one.

"Oh, around," he replied cryptically.

"Yeah, well Stan's been freaking out. He's been having to bitch to me about his love woes with Valerie."

"They're having problems already?" Stan frequently attached himself to high-maintenance women. He was such a gentleman and bitchy women loved to misuse that quality.

Kenny laughed. "Dude, they haven't even been on date three and he's already dropped the fucking L-bomb."

Wow, that was not good. Kyle had been in love with Cartman for like, a decade, but he was nowhere near saying that to his face. Of course, comparing their relationship to Stan and Valerie's was a drastic oversimplification. Yes, they were a couple, but that was like saying that Twinkies are a food source, true yet grossly mislabeled.

Stan was already thinking he loved Valerie. He had been crushing on her for some time, but Kyle had no idea when Stan developed this idea of being in love with her. How could Kyle know? He'd been avoiding Stan since that first blissful overnight at Cartman's. He was so afraid that his secret would show on his face. Stan, who knew him better than anyone else, save perhaps Ike, would surely see the new glow about him. Since his parents' divorce he'd been robotically performing the role of Kyle, but now he was happy. Not even seeing his mom and Oliver basking in love on the last night of Hanukkah had brought him back to that cold and dangerous place. Sure, it had still been unpleasant, but he'd been able to look forward to curling up with the absolute best teddy bear.

These thoughts went around his head in their instantaneous way while Kyle held the phone. He was standing next to Cartman's bed staring at the unmoving, and no doubt miffed, lump of blankets. Cartman was exceedingly cuddleable. It might have been due in part to his weight which added padding to places like his belly and cheeks, but Kyle had come to see that Cartman was a very affectionate person.

Kenny continued his update on Stan. "He's been bitching more about the fact that he can't bitch to you than he has been bitching about Valerie. You guys really are abnormally close."

Kyle was used to that accusation, so he didn't respond to it. "He hung up on me when I called him."

"A-ha!" cried Kenny. "I wondered why you were calling me. Need me to play middle man?" he asked. Kyle felt bad for intimating that Kenny was a runner-up best friend, but he also didn't hear any hurt or anger in Kenny's voice. Perhaps he was just used to it. Kenny also didn't seem like the jealous type to him; he always seemed happy just to have the attention.

"Would you?" asked Kyle humbly.

"Sure, agreed Kenny. "Are we hanging out today then?"

Kyle smiled. Even knowing that they wouldn't be doing much, he was still looking forward to it. He had a sudden insight then as to how different life was going to be after graduation. The thought nauseated Kyle and he pushed it away. "If you can talk Stan into it."

"Psh. Oh, he'll be fucking thrilled to have you back in his manly arms again."

"Oh fuck off," said Kyle playfully.

"Glad you're gonna stop batcaving," replied Kenny, being uncharacteristically sentimental. "See ya," he added quickly, as if escaping an embarrassing situation.

Now all they had to do was sit and wait for Kenny to work his magic. Kyle knew that stan would be annoyed that he hadn't supplied an excuse, but that couldn't be helped. He could not tell Stan the truth right now.

Kyle set the phone down on a random surface nearby. He crawled atop Mount Cartman, a cotton-capped mountain near the Colorado Rockies. Beneath the layers of blanket he felt the shape of his boyfriend, warm from sleep and insulation.

He loved Cartman. Each day he felt it grow a little more. Cartman seemed to have become more handsome since they became an item; Kyle had trouble not pressing the sex issue. Spending over a week in bed wasn't helping.

Cartman poked his head out to glare, but then stopped when he saw the look in Kyle's eyes. Kyle felt as though he must be looking like a fox in a hen house. Instead of griping about the interruption of sleep, Cartman reached a hand from under the covers to pull the redhead's lips in for a kiss. Both closed their eyes and allowed the soft, morning-breathy kiss to fill their other senses.

Lips to lips and just a hint of tongue, they greeted each other. On previous mornings, the make out sessions had been tender, both comfortably coming into consciousness. This time though, Kyle was feeling frisky. He figured that they had some time before Kenny would call back with an itinerary, so his hand began to initiate something a bit naughtier. It was nearly impossible to feel the specific anatomy of the area that he was rubbing since the blankets were so thick, but his intention was conveyed.

Cartman rolled his eyes. It looked like he was going to say something, but instead he grabbed the edge of the blanket and gestured for Kyle to join him beneath. Kyle shook his head. He wasn't wanting underneath anything at the moment. He felt perfectly content with having scaled his mountain. Instead, he grabbed the bedding at the top part just under Cartman's armpits and tugged downwards exposing a broad acne-spotted chest. Cartman had found wearing pajamas combined with Kyle's warmth was too much, so he'd been sleeping in boxers.

Kyle smiled at the flat nipples sitting atop slight man-boobs. There was no hair on Cartman's chest unlike his own which had sprigs of red curls in occasional patches. It was nice because then he could curl up on Cartman's chest without worrying about any hairs going up his nose.

"What's in your mind?" asked Cartman nervously. He could tell that Kyle was frisky and plotting things. Kyle grinned in response. He wanted to respect Cartman's boundaries, but he also was going to try to work around them a bit. Was oral sex out? They hadn't gotten to that. Hell, Cartman's hands had stopped him when he'd tried to slip his hand into Cartman's boxers. It seemed that fondling over clothes was okay. Now Kyle finally understood all the boys that grumbled about frigid girlfriends, but he would keep that thought to himself; he had no desire to hurt Cartman's feelings.

Kyle leaned down and lowered his lips to a nipple. He licked, feeling the small nub standing out amongst the other flesh. They really were teeny little things. It wasn't that Kyle had huge ones, but these were barely higher than the areola. He licked again, but didn't notice much of a reaction from either the skin or Cartman. Hm, insensitive nipples, he thought.

"What are you trying to do?" asked Cartman, sounding annoyed.

Okay, there were still plenty of things to try. He already knew that Cartman was a neck and ear man, but he wanted to try the underclothes areas. He ran a hand over the chest and smiled at Cartman. He was hoping not to be thwarted as he lifted himself up and yanked the blanket behind him. He raised each knee in turn as he worked the covers off of his boyfriend.

"It's cold," complained Cartman. He looked vulnerable beneath Kyle, clad only in black and white boxers. Kyle found that he liked Cartman looking defenseless. Still, protesting or not, Kyle could feel Cartman's interest in the situation pressing upwards against him.

He returned to the nipple, but tried biting a bit. Still not a positive reaction, so he trailed kisses down Cartman's belly, hands on either side of his waist. He moved his body lower and lower. He kept kissing as he reached the boxer's elastic band. That was when he finally got the kind of reaction that he wanted from Cartman. It was a slight tensing and hip movement, but it was enough to please Kyle. His kisses continued, coming into contact with Cartman's hardness. It was still through fabric which was not what Kyle was wanting, but this required baby steps. Six inches lower and he was still kissing even as he reached Cartman's balls. The thighs were becoming a problem now though since Cartman wasn't exactly spreading his legs. Kyle ran a hand over where his lips had passed and gripped a meaty thigh, pushing slightly, urging it outward.

Cartman was tense; he was enjoying the sensations but with obvious reluctance. Kyle could see the darkened patch of boxer, moistened by Cartman's arousal. He could smell the aroma of his naughty bits, a natural, primal scent. Kyle suspected that he was arousing himself more with the attention that he was Cartman. He hoped that he was wrong.

The leg gave slightly, a tiny concession to Kyle's influence. His fingers slid up one boxer leg and touched the naked testicles. Cartman jumped a bit and Kyle waited, hoping not to be called out. No protest came though and he continued to caress the underside of the sack while kissing Cartman's boxer-covered erection. It was heaven for Kyle, being able to do this. He let his saliva damped the cloth and could taste Cartman's pre-come. His own penis lurched angrily against his briefs. God, he felt like an Animal Channel creature. He just wanted to mount Cartman and thrust like a beast.

His hand snuck slightly higher, feeling the base of Cartman's cock. This was the first time he'd ever felt it without anything between them. It was smooth and hard and less delicate than Cartman's balls. His other hand reached up the other leg of Cartman's boxers. He was now cradling Cartman's naked balls and cock while kissing his underwear. If Cartman was going to object, it was going to be soon.

He looked up at Cartman and saw that Cartman's eyes were closed and his mouth was open. Kyle relaxed a bit, not having realized that he was worried that Cartman might not be having a good time. The rough cotton was drying his tongue, but it was better than nothing. Kyle opened his mouth widely and breathed warm air on Cartman's cock. He didn't want it to be too hot, so he didn't do it long, but it did make Cartman squirm a bit. He closed his recently opened lips around the clothed cock head.

Cartman gasped.

Kyle went berserk at the sound. His hand slipped up higher, grasping the whole cock with his hand and popping the head into his mouth, not concerning himself about the wrapper it had. Cartman's hips jerked upwards. His hand caressed up and down. He delighted in the heavy breathing he heard his boyfriend make. He stroked Cartman as he had stroked himself since he was nine years old. His hand moved fast causing the boxer fabric to flutter up and down like it was alive.

"Kyle," panted Cartman. They'd been too pent-up from days upon days of making out. He knew that Cartman was close to the edge after only the two minutes that he'd been doing this because of the past two weeks. It had all built up in them both. When Cartman had called his name, it had sounded like a warning.

His left hand fought with the button at the front of Cartman's boxers. Kyle was grateful for his multi-tasking skills for his right hand never ceased even as he struggled with that goddamn button. It finally popped open and with it Cartman's dick was revealed as it slipped through the hole. Kyle quickly enveloped it with his mouth. It tasted so good that Kyle could have died right then. This was so much better than eating Cartman's underwear.

Cartman's reaction to the change of sensation was intense. His hands grabbed Kyle's head and his throat made a choking sound. "No…" he whispered. "Stop…Kyle…"

Even though he was protesting, his hips were moving like crazy now. The cock felt alive in Kyle's hand and the precome in his mouth kept flowing. His hand flapped up and down sometimes hitting his chin as he attempted to suck and jack off Cartman at the same time.

"No…no…no…" Cartman repeated, his voice getting louder as he got closer to the edge. "Fuck! Kyle!" he finally yelled as Kyle's mouth filled with come. It sprayed in the back of his mouth, aimed there by Cartman's hand forcing his head down onto it. It was warm and thick like a jelly. Kyle took a swallow. Immediately he felt a bit nauseous. He'd tasted his own come before, but that had been just a teeny bit on his fingers, this was like a swig of a creamy soup. Still, it didn't lessen how cool the moment was. He'd just had a mouth full of Cartman's semen and that was a neat concept if not as pleasant of a reality.

Kyle pulled his mouth off the wilting penis. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand. Some of the come ran down his chin and he dabbed at that as well. Cartman's face was beet red and he was panting, recovering from his orgasm. Kyle smiled, moving off Cartman to lay beside him.

Cartman didn't say anything for several minutes. The sweat that had formed while Kyle was fellating him receded back and his breathing slowed down. His eyes finally opened, looking directly at Kyle.

Kyle was shocked to see a look of sadness there and… was that guilt? "Cartman…?" he asked, reaching out a hand to touch Cartman's cheek.

Cartman jerked back from the touch. He looked down at himself in obvious disgust at the moist boxers and then back at Kyle. "Why did you have to do that?"

The emotional slap crossed Kyle's cheeks. He'd felt that he'd done a good thing. They'd been so hard up and wanting each other. Hadn't Cartman been lusting just as much as he had been? Hell, he had done pretty fucking good considering that he'd never performed oral sex before. Just the fact that he'd been able to get Cartman off had given him pride, but Cartman was acting like he'd kicked a dog or something.

"I told you that I didn't want to Kyle."

Yes, that was true. Oral sex was still sex and he had pushed Cartman's boundaries, but dammit, hadn't it gone well? He was right though and Kyle felt guilty. He had said that he would respect Cartman's limit and he had completely ignored his feelings about it. "You're right. I just… I wanted to so much. You're so…" he paused feeling silly. "I want you so much. I'm really sorry."

Cartman tilted his head to the side considering. Kyle just hoped that Cartman was taking into consideration how infrequently he apologized. He again reached a hand out to Cartman's cheek and this time he didn't pull away. He stroked the soft cheek with his thumb. "I was an asshole."

This finally seemed to win Cartman over. "You're always an asshole," he said.

"Hey, I can't help that you make me feel like the horny teenager that I am."

Cartman's lips twitched in a near smile. "Whatever," he said. He rose from the bed and looked down at his wet boxers.

Kyle shrugged. "You need to shower anyway. We're hanging out with Stan and Kenny today." He lay back onto the bed. His erection was nearly gone from the worrying about Cartman's feelings, but damn he was still pent up. He knew what he'd be doing once Cartman did get into the shower.

"Aw man," Cartman griped. "Stupid dickholes."

He knew that Cartman was just being Cartman. No doubt he was looking forward to seeing their friends again too. "Go take a shower," he ordered.

Cartman glared down at his boyfriend. "Stop telling me what to do you scrawny cocksucker." For the first time, the insult actually applied. That made Kyle smile. "Tell me what to do…" muttered Cartman opening the door and peeking into the hallway before making his way to the bathroom. "I'll kick you in the nuts…" He kept on his mumbling as he left the room, closing the bedroom door behind him.

Immediately Kyle's hands went into his briefs and grabbed hold of himself as he just had Cartman. He clenched himself and ground up and down as he recalled everything that had just happened minutes ago. He licked his lips, the taste of Cartman still all over him. He remembered the gasping, the moaning, and the writhing. When he came he whispered Cartman's name, desperately wishing that it was Cartman's mouth that he was ejaculating into instead of his palm. He bit his lip harshly as the waves of orgasm carried his brain far away.

He luxuriated in the tension release for a few moments before cleaning himself up with some tissue on the nightstand. He thought about their upcoming day while waiting for his boyfriend to get out of the shower. It was going to be really hard not to be obvious about how in love he was with Cartman. This would be an interesting experience.

* * *

Another author's note: I kind of rushed past the winter break a bit because I'm eager to get to part three. No doubt I'll regret that later, but the entire concept for this arc is based on the third part.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: It's a short chapter but it does prove that I'm still alive. *laughs* I'm working on Chapter 8 now. Liane's behavior may seem a bit OOC, but I have good reason for it, so bear with me. I'm really looking forward to the third part in the arc so it's making the second part drag a bit.

* * *

Chapter 7

Cartman was naked, the shower water turned up high enough to no longer be considered soothing. He scrubbed his skin with a fluffy yellow hand rag furiously. The soapy areas of skin were turning pink beneath the suds.

Cartman felt guilty, an uncommon emotion for him. Whether his eyes were closed or open, he could clearly see what had just transpired. He saw Kyle behaving in that demeaning manner, mouth sensuously wrapped around his cock. The image pissed him off. He had made Kyle nothing more than a whore servicing his needs.

The rag was losing its soapiness, but such things were as far from Cartman's mind as they were close to his skin. Surely it had been Kyle picking up his desires and trying to accommodate him. Why would Kyle belittle himself just to make Cartman happy? No, he couldn't think of this as Kyle's fault. It must have been something he had done to encourage it. His mind replayed the scene, viewing his mistakes each step of the way.

Before Cartman had interfered in Kyle's life, he'd been pure, just another good grade getting, mother-obeying virgin. Now after only a couple of weeks in Cartman's house, Kyle was acting like Liane. Cartman had tainted Kyle; it was the only explanation.

Cartman could count the number of times he had felt guilty on his fingers, perhaps on one hand. He wanted to turn back time before he'd ruined Kyle's innocent mind. He wanted to erase the image of those sparkling, wanton eyes staring up at him. God knew though that Cartman had never in his life witnessed anything more arousing than a turned on Kyle licking at him. It was little wonder that he'd lost control, not only letting Kyle go down on him, but ejaculating like five seconds after he'd started.

Though he'd never have admitted it, he was still psyched that he'd managed to obtain Kyle. He'd spent years daydreaming of ravaging Kyle. Since his fantasies were forbidden, he'd turned them into power struggles. He'd tried to convince himself, and had done a fairly good job, that when he thought about sex with Kyle that it was just the desire to dominate him. Since he hated Kyle, and that he had managed to believe, the wanting to fuck him had to be caught up in teaching him a lesson or the like.

So, there was fucking Kyle doggystyle without lube. He'd enjoyed the imagined cries of pain and the feel of Kyle's small frame in his hands, his hips curved like a woman's. Sometimes the hips would be covered by a skirt that Cartman would push up, making Kyle blush with sexy shame. Cartman's mind had never made it straight out rape, because it was so much more shameful for Kyle to want it, to want the pain and pleasure that only Cartman could give.

There was the delightful fantasy of Kyle atop him, ass bobbing up and down like a horny frog only to be interrupted by Kyle's mom. The bitch would barge into her son's room and see what a dirty slut Kyle was for him. He liked that his Kyle was so into it that he didn't stop anyway.

The ones that haunted him now were those in which Kyle was on his knees. They would be at school, in a bathroom stall or a janitor's closet. Even knowing how easily they could be caught, Kyle was so desperate for his cock that he'd happily fall to his knees and fellate. Even with all those indecent thoughts of an eager, lusty Kyle, Cartman still would never have expected it to be the case.

Now that he had that Kyle, the slutty and desperate one, Cartman knew that it had never been about the power. More than that, if Kyle had transformed into this fictional Kyle, it had to be Cartman's fault. As if Cartman had just willed him into existence. Only, it wasn't what Cartman wanted. The past two weeks had been filled with sexual tension, there was no use denying that even to himself, but Cartman was discovering a different need that he had for Kyle. He wanted Kyle's heart more than his touch. He wanted Kyle to love him, to care about him and Cartman wanted to do those things back. He wanted, strangely, to make Kyle happy, to protect him.

But how could he keep Kyle safe from his damaging influence?

The knock on the bathroom door made Cartman jump a bit. He heard it squeak open and then closed.

"Dude, are you going to leave me any fucking hot water?"

Cartman looked at his hand clutching the limp washcloth. There was no soap left on it. He faced the obscure shower curtain. "I'm almost done. Fucking wait!"

"Maybe you need someone to get your back…" suggested Kyle.

Cartman was thinking of a retaliatory insult when the curtain's corner moved slightly revealing Kyle's curious face. Reflexively, Cartman chucked the wet cloth at the face. He was uncomfortable with anyone seeing him naked, especially his skinny-ass boyfriend.

Kyle screeched as the wet square slapped him in the face, knocking him backwards. Cartman could hear his curses from outside the shower. "Jesus Christ! What was that for?"

"For not having any concept of privacy asshole!" snapped Cartman. He turned off the water. When he pulled the curtain back, he viewed an angry, wet-faced Kyle. If he'd been in a better mood he would have taunted Kyle about it. Instead, he self-consciously snatched his towel and reclosed the curtain, escaping back into safety.

"You Jews have no concept of privacy," Cartman bitched.

"And you…" Kyle paused in his retort. "What the hell are you? Do you consider yourself Christian?"

Cartman pointedly coughed. "Apparently you've forgotten that Cartmanism is still a government-recognized religion." He was drying his red skin, procrastinating being naked again in front of Kyle.

It had been years since he'd founded the First United Fundamentalist Allied Congregational Assembly of Cartman®. Since his first church had tanked in the fourth grade, Cartman had intended to launch a second one, since the money-making idea was sound. Even he'd been a little surprised, though delighted, by the fact that the religion revolved around himself and his teachings. The main tenant was to make sure to put the self before others. The idea was very popular, especially with the younger generation, and before Cartman knew it, the religion had churches popping up all over Colorado. Unfortunately, the other churches had better funding and once again he'd been screwed out of his million dollars. Even though his name was in the religion's title, it didn't guarantee him all of its proceeds. Now he understood how Jesus felt, having to work that stupid daytime talk show to make ends meet.

It was irksome that Kyle had managed to forget about that. Hell, there was a whole sub-section of the Cartmanistic doctrine that was dedicated to just how evil Jews, and more specifically Kyle, were. It was just like Kyle to overlook something positive that Cartman had managed to do.

"I didn't forget fatass. I still get death threats from your fucking followers," complained Kyle. Cartman couldn't help but smile at this. It was nice to know that there were still worshippers out there, even if the fad was dying down. "So, you do actually worship yourself? Look who I'm asking!"

"See Kyle, it's that kind of attitude that got you into the holy writ in the first place." He peered out of the curtain. Kyle was leaning back against the sink. He smiled warmly at Cartman's exposed face. It was inexplicable to Cartman how he had earned that kind of reaction from Kyle, but he loved the way that his boyfriend's smile was just for him. Maybe it had come from years and years of time spent together, but it always seemed that they had some kind of secret joke between them.

Cartman wrapped the towel around himself before stepping out of the shower. He was once again thinking about the erotic events that had just taken place in his room and it was souring his mood. So when Kyle reached a hand out and touched his naked shoulder, Cartman recoiled a bit. It was more of an instinctive reaction to the interruption of his internal monologue, but it looked bad the way that he drew back from his boyfriend's touch. Kyle's look was one of surprised worry.

"What?" he asked.

Cartman snapped back at him. "Nothing." He opened the door to the bathroom and left Kyle bewildered behind him.

* * *

Kyle was still showering when Liane asked her son if she could talk with him. Cartman's relationship with his mom was not a normal one. Half the time he felt their roles were reversed and he hadn't been punished by her in several years, even when he sorely deserved it. So, while the serious way that she asked put him on guard, he was far from nervous.

He snatched up his coffee mug from the counter. It had already been lightly sugared and had a dash of vanilla creamer just as he liked. He took a sip of the steaming beverage before answering her. "Yeah mom, what's up?"

He pulled out his chair and accidentally caught the corner of the tablecloth. The plates and napkins shifted a few inches towards him. He cursed, shoving the fabric back before sitting.

As usual when Cartman sat at the table, his mom immediately set food before him: silver-dollar pancakes, scrambled eggs, and nutella-covered toast. It looked good.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about your friend…"

She sounded nervous. He could tell that whatever she was intending to discuss was a delicate matter. He waited to see what she could possibly have to say about Kyle. It wasn't like _she _could say anything about him having guys stay overnight.

Cartman's mom coughed. "Well honey, I know that you two have become rather close…"

He looked at the back of her head as she prepared Kyle's breakfast. Maybe she did care about the overnights. "Yeah," he agreed, hoping to encourage her to talk.

She sighed, setting both her hands down on the counter before her. "Eric, I'm happy for you, that you have a special friend."

The use of his name instead of a pet name combined with her words made Cartman feel strangely disconnected from her. It felt like he was a grownup come to visit. His hand jiggled the fork over his food.

"But…" 'So, there was a but', he thought. She still wasn't facing him. "Well sweety, people in small towns like to talk. People can be cruel in the things that they say about others. It's easy to get a bad…reputation."

Cartman had never heard his mom talk about all the gossip surrounding her, even in this sort of third person way. He'd wondered if she even knew about what others said of her, because he sure knew that she must not care. Yet here she was talking with him about it and from her tone, it did seem like she cared.

"Things that should be just between a person and their special friend don't always stay that way."

"Mom?" He stood up then, concerned by how she was talking. He'd had to cope with the fact that her sex life was her choice years ago, she he understood what she meant. He was just worried because it was uncharacteristic of her to talk about anything negatively.

She looked up at him and smiled, her eyes softly reflecting tears when he placed a hand on one of her slight shoulders. He didn't see his mother cry often, mostly during her drug lows, but it always made him angry. He usually was mad at her dealers, wanting nothing less than their lives to be snuffed out by his bare hands, but this time his anger was vaguely directed at anyone who felt better than his mom for her whorish ways.

"Why are you crying?" he asked. He was unsure why this was coming up now and what it had to do with Kyle.

"I don't want you to have to listen to what they'd say about you and Kyle."

Cartman could have laughed with relief. She was worried about the crap he'd take for it? What an absurd notion! Did she not notice that it was her reputation that had made his skin so fucking thick. He'd had to pretend, as far back as childhood, to be more offended by people calling him fat than his mom being called a slut. He'd diverted their attention from something that wounded him more deeply. Even with that, the jokes about Liane Cartman were as prevalent as blonde or Pollock jokes in South Park.

'I don't give a flying fuck what they say about me and Kyle," he thought to himself.

It was a huge lie. He had never planned to share his feelings publicly for the same fucked up reasons that his mom was giving him now. It was more honest to say that he wanted desperately to not care what others thought about it. He took so much shit for having a crack-whore mom, did he really want to add homosexual Jew lover to his vulnerable bits?

"Shit mom! Is that all? You really think I was planning on announcing to people that I'm seeing a goddamn Jew?"

A strange look crossed Cartman's mom face but it was swiftly replaced by a smile. "So you are a couple then?" she asked while wiping away a tear.

Cartman caught a bit of movement in the doorway. Had Kyle been standing there? God, how could he answer his mom knowing that Kyle was within earshot. He didn't want to have to sound like some mushy gay-wad. He nodded at her while rolling his eyes, "Yeah I guess, since he won't leave me the fuck alone."

Kyle's form appeared in the kitchen doorway then. "Whatever. I'm here for the good food."

Liane was surprised by the voice, but she illuminated as she usually did when greeting guests. Cartman knew his mother was genuinely a people-person and loved visitors. "Oh Kyle!" She exclaimed moving towards him. Cartman's hand slid off her shoulder as she placed a hand in the center of Kyle's chest. "I'll try to feed you so that you never leave!"

Kyle blushed from his neck up. He nervously passed by her and sat opposite Cartman's abandoned plate. "Wow pancakes!" he said overenthusiastically to disguise his discomfort.

Cartman caught his mom's eyes for a moment. For that brief second, he got the impression that there was more going on in her mind. Something was still troubling her, he was sure of it. The moment was broken by her hurrying to serve her son's hungry boyfriend; however, Cartman made note of that suspicion, making sure not to forget it lest it prove important later. Then he turned his attention back to his plate and more tasty concerns.


End file.
